The Heart Rhythm Society held its annual meeting in San Francisco, California on May 19–22. Couldn’t attend? Here are some of the news items you missed.

Medtronic Advances Leadership in Physician Education with Broad-Based Procedure Training Initiatives
       May 20, 2004--Medtronic, Inc. announced a significant investment in simulation technologies and new facilities for the training of physicians and other clinical personnel. The comprehensive training opportunities enable beginning and seasoned cardiology specialists to enhance their device techniques in a highly sophisticated, risk-free, simulated medical setting.
       Training is offered at various Medtronic Therapy and Procedure Training Centers using virtual reality imaging labs that provide realistic procedures and replicate patient cases in the areas of heart failure (cardiac resynchronization therapy), heart arrhythmias and coronary artery disease. Training is based on a variety of cases with varying levels of difficulty, delivering both diagnostic and treatment challenges using virtual patients and virtual fluoroscopy with the “feel” of an actual case but without risk.
       A key training program component was introduced at Heart Rhythm 2004. Conference attendees experienced the latest in simulation technology when visiting the Medtronic Therapy and Procedure Training Center Mobile Unit — an 80-foot-long semi truck with two virtual catheterization labs at Medtronic's exhibit hall space.
       Marshall Stanton, Vice President and Medical Director for Medtronic Cardiac Rhythm Management, said “With our wide range of training programs and multitude of device and delivery system options, we are uniquely positioned to help physicians care for more heart failure patients with life-saving and life-enhancing medical technologies.”
       U.S.-based Medtronic training opportunities are available through:
• The Medtronic Therapy and Procedure Training Center - North America, which features a 120-person auditorium/classroom, four fully equipped operating rooms, virtual cath labs and simulator systems. Interactive satellite technology can transmit live procedures in real time from leading medical centers, allowing interaction with physicians performing new procedures.
• Medtronic Vascular training facilities in California, New York and Massachusetts. These facilities focus on interventional cardiology procedures, giving physicians simulator-based training in the use of diagnostic techniques, angioplasty catheters, stents, distal protection systems, and peripheral vascular procedures.
• Regional cardiac device implant training programs that facilitate greater access to training throughout the country. The Therapy and Procedure Training Center - Mobile Unit, with a conference room and two virtual cath labs, will be based in Florida, and the company is establishing Therapy and Procedure Training Centers at Medtronic regional offices in New Jersey, California, Georgia, Colorado and Minnesota. In addition, courses will be offered at several regional hospitals and medical centers that have been selected as Medtronic Centers of Excellence.
       In developing its educational programs, Medtronic partnered with Immersion Medical, a subsidiary of Immersion Corporation, a provider of haptic technology, which enables clinicians to experience how real procedures should feel so they can develop effective techniques before performing them on patients.

Philips Showcases New Integrated EP Solutions, Strategic Research Partnerships
       May 20, 2004--Royal Philips Electronics announced that its medical systems division will introduce integrated and customizable ultrasound and cardiovascular (CV) X-ray products for the EP marketplace that enhance workflow, save costs, and improve patient care. These products, as well as several Philips clinical research and business partners — including Massachusetts General Hospital and EP MedSystems — were onsite at the Heart Rhythm 2004 - 25th Annual Scientific Sessions.
       Philips recognizes that providing clinicians with precise knowledge of the heart's complex circuitry and anatomy — including the left atrium, pulmonary veins, coronary sinus, and cardiac veins — may reduce exam times, improve patient care, and advance the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. At Heart Rhythm 2004, Philips showcased the following new EP products:
• Philips Allura XperFD 10 catheterization system and EP MedSystems' EP Workmate®: Combines EP recording/mapping and fluoroscopy capabilities that help streamline workflow in the EP lab. The Allura Xper FD10 has specific fluoro protocols, which may help to achieve significant dose reductions. The EP WorkMate® integrated family of EP recording and stimulation equipment offers high-quality signals and 3D mapping to diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias.
• Live 3D Echo with Tom Tec Advanced Analysis Software: 3D data set acquisition with the Philips SONOS 7500 and the TomTec 4D Left Ventricle-Analysis SW package enables clinicians to view and examine the motion and timing of contraction for each region of the left ventricle (LV) to help evaluate LV dyssynchrony. This analysis can help clinicians select and predict which patients may respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The combination of Live 3D data sets and TomTec's advanced analysis software provides improved insights into LV function and timing for patients undergoing CRT.
       In the past year, Philips has forged strategic partnerships with prominent healthcare facilities around the globe, including Massachusetts General in Boston, Masonic Hospital in Chicago, and Leeds General Infirmary in the United Kingdom. These research partnerships aim to identify new ways to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease as well as provide state-of-the-art technologies to advance care, including electrophysiology.
       Earlier this year, Philips announced a relationship with EP MedSystems in West Berlin, New Jersey, to address the increasing need for a comprehensive EP lab solution for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. The agreement combines Philips cardiovascular X-ray technology with EP MedSystems' advanced EP recording and data management systems.
       “Our partnership with Philips is creating products that are truly integrated and will save time and money for healthcare facilities via systems that communicate more effectively and operate more efficiently with each other,” said Reinhard Schmidt, President and CEO of EP MedSystems. “The Philips Allura Xper FD 10 with EP WorkMate validates our progress and will pave the way for bolder, more streamlined solutions that enhance patient care in the future.”

GE Healthcare Announces EP Monitoring System to Interface With the Cryocath System
       May 20, 2004--Cardiologists can now perform EP studies more efficiently from a single workstation that instinctively documents heart monitoring, 3D mapping and ablation information. GE Healthcare showcased the CardioLab IT CryoCath Interface at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting held in San Francisco this May. This new GE CardioLab IT functionality was developed in collaboration with CryoCath Technologies to interface with the Freezor® cryoablation system.
       Reducing the opportunity for error, the CardioLab® IT CryoCath Interface eliminates the need for manual data entry by automatically capturing ablation information and incorporating it into the patient log, synchronizing with waveforms and detailing results in the comprehensive reports. With GE’s Centricity® Information System, data gathered on the CardioLab IT can be made available for all-inclusive statistical reporting, such as measurements, inventory, procedures times, and billing. The system also offers the ability to query across modalities.
       The CardioLab IT electrophysiology monitoring system from GE Healthcare also offers a bi-directional interface with the CARTO® XP Navigation and Ablation System. GE announced in May 2003 that it would market the interface under a strategic alliance with Biosense Webster, Inc. a Johnson & Johnson company, manufacturer of the CARTO XP System.
       The bi-directional interface improves productivity by letting two systems share information automatically in real time. Clinicians enter all necessary data only once at a single workstation, reducing the potential for data entry errors. Simultaneous control of both systems means cardiologists can view mapping in the complete context of case events, with all waveforms, data and maps synchronized for clinical accuracy. Clinicians can create comprehensive EP case reports that include events, vital signs, waveforms, ablation parameters, and 3D electroanatomical maps. Simpler patient setup with a single 12-lead ECG using the Quick Connect cable reduces connections, cables and patches, potentially reducing noise and improving signal quality.
       The technology consists of three products — CardioLab IT and MacLab IT — both powered by the Centricity Cardiology Information System. Each offering comes with core functionality to which users can add a variety of optional capabilities to suit their specific needs.
       The Mac-Lab IT is a single integrated hemodynamic and data management solution that accurately captures clinical information at the point-of-care. This system creates the possibility to implement Cardiac Integrated Healthcare Enterprise workflow. Patient ADT and order information may flow directly from the hospital information system to the web-scheduling module or to the clinicians’ workstations, eliminating redundant data entry and allowing you to track patient progress on the dynamic electronic whiteboard.
       In addition to performing hemodynamic monitoring, it also gathers information that can later be used for clinical reports, inventory statistics and management, billing and charge capture applications and American College of Cardiology registry benchmarking.
       The systems link seamlessly with the Centricity Clinical Information System, the technology that creates patients' electronic medical records.